Chapter 781: Chapter 587: The Five Eccentrics of Bo Mansion
In fact, Yang Xiao and the other man had not even heard the song lyrics clearly. What truly caught their attention was the man’s roaring recitation of the bewitching poem.
The two exchanged a look, scanned their surroundings and, finding no one else around, they tiptoed closer to the door, hoping to hear more clearly. The man’s roaring continued but soon shifted focus, directed at another person in the room, "And you, you worthless wretch, I’ve struggled for so long and yet you can’t bear me a son. Come here and tidy yourself, we’re leaving!"
With curses and abuse, accompanied by the sobbing of a little girl and the sound of packing within, Yang Xiao and Jiang Qingluan realized the man was planning to leave. They quickly and silently retreated to a dark spot not far away to observe.
After about a few minutes, the old wooden door creaked open, and a disheveled man with a sallow face, wearing patched-up clothes made of coarse fabric emerged, "Hurry up, stop dawdling!"
Pressed by the man, a dark-skinned, frail-looking woman stepped out from behind the door. She was clearly made up, with rouge on her face and wearing relatively new clothes, but her mood was very low. She kept her head down, silent, tear streaks visible on her face.
As the woman stepped out, the man snapped impatiently at someone inside the room, "You dead loss, just stay home and behave. If I catch you running off again to mingle with those little stinking beggars and learning those cursed poems, I’ll sell you!"
The man’s words were likely a warning to his daughter – the little girl who had sung the bewitching poem. He then slammed the door shut and, perhaps feeling it was insecure, propped a thick stick against it from the outside before dragging the woman with him.
Once the pair had walked a good distance, Yang Xiao and the other were about to follow, but suddenly, a window trembled and opened. A whimsical little girl poked her head out, looked around noticing no one, then agilely jumped out of the window, landing with caution and scanning her surroundings.
After making sure her parents were gone, she stood up, quickly closed the window behind her, and darted outside of the alley.
Yang Xiao and Jiang Qingluan quickly followed the girl. Fortunately, the direction of her stealthy escape coincided with that of her parents. Concerned about losing them, Yang Xiao and Jiang Qingluan split up, with him advancing faster to follow the couple, while Jiang Qingluan stayed behind to keep an eye on the little girl, hoping to uncover the origin of the bewitching poem.
The man and woman walked down the street, peculiarly keeping close to the street side rather than the middle. The woman followed behind the man, her head constantly bowed. Given that she had made up before leaving the house, it was clear that she was probably involved in some clandestine activity.
Before long, Yang Xiao found himself back at the tea stall where they had drunk tea earlier, with Fang Zhou and Chang Chuchu waiting at the seat. Fang Zhou was staring blankly at the street when he suddenly spotted Yang Xiao but just as he was about to get up, he noticed Yang Xiao shake his head subtly at him.
Realizing there was something amiss, Fang Zhou stayed put and quietly informed Chang Chuchu. They observed and noticed that Yang Xiao was following a man and woman, with Jiang Qingluan not far behind, tailing a little girl.
Chang Chuchu packed up a book she had just bought and, along with Fang Zhou, discreetly approached Yang Xiao to follow him.
After another 10 minutes, the man and woman approached the mouth of a secluded alley. The man, highly vigilant, paused at the entrance to look around. Once convinced they were unobserved, they both slipped inside.
During the walk, Yang Xiao gave Fang Zhou and Chang Chuchu a brief rundown of the situation. Based on experience, Chang Chuchu surmised that the bewitching poem was highly suspect, possibly linked to the secrets of the Earl Mansion.
Arriving at the mouth of the alley and seeing ’Chunlai Alley’ written on the wall to the right, everything became clear to Yang Xiao. The comings and goings of women here were too conspicuous, so he asked Chang Chuchu to remain behind and catch up with Jiang Qingluan, while he and Fang Zhou would go in and investigate.
The oppressive feeling hit them as they entered the alley – the old lane was not just dirty but the walls on both sides were high, blocking out sunlight and casting deeper shadows. Following the narrow path, they occasionally encountered men hurrying out or squatting alone in corners, smoking their pipes.
Soon, they reached a fork in the road. Standing at the intersection and looking in, they saw small houses lining both sides, with a man seated in front of each house. Whether sitting on stools or directly on the cold steps, all looked towards the entrance – and upon seeing newcomers, several greeted them eagerly.
"Speak less later, I’ll deal with it," Yang Xiao instructed Fang Zhou before stepping into the fork.
"This gent, it’s your first time here, isn’t it? Quite the unfamiliar face," a scrawny man said with a sycophantic smile, eyeing up Yang Xiao and Fang Zhou as if appraising livestock.
The next moment, to Fang Zhou’s surprise, Yang Xiao pushed him forward, "It’s not me, it’s this brother of mine. He’s getting married next month and knows nothing of the ways of men and women. I brought him here to have some fun."
"Sure thing, sure thing!" the man nodded eagerly, chuckling, "No virgin lads here, our girls are experienced. Don’t worry, they’ll serve your brother well and leave him thoroughly satisfied."
Fang Zhou might not have had the experience of these seasoned patrons, but he was no fool. He surmised that this was a secret brothel and that the men outside were the husbands of the women inside, who worked in the rooms while their husbands drummed up business and collected the money.
